The Exiles
by happyhooligan2001
Summary: The exiled ex MI-5 agents Ruth Evershed and Zoe Reynolds team up with an unemployed Chloe O'Brian to smash a child prostitiution ring
1. A Candle For Danny

**The Exiles**

**Chapter One**

**A Candle For Danny**

**Author's Note: **This story is a sequel to Chloe And The Mice which I wrote about two years ago. You don't have to read Chloe And The Mice to enjoy this story. The only important facts are that sometime during late fourth season, Chloe O'Brian from 24 was assigned to temporary duty with MI-5. While she and Ruth aren't really close friends they did establish a friendly professional relationship. Chloe also had a brief affair with the late Colin Wells. The story also had a lot of running around, screaming, shooting, explosions, murder, treason, and other unpleasant things none of which have anything to do with this new story.

I would like to dedicate this story to my old pal Exotic Rooftile who helped me out with some of the Britspeak on that story.

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The last person to step off the Greyhound bus was an attractive woman in her mid thirties. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail and she wore an ankle length blue dress. She had never been to Los Angeles before and clutched a city map in one hand. Ruth quickly claimed her one suitcase and headed out to the street. It seemed a lifetime ago since she had been to Britain and she was terribly homesick. She missed her home, her cat, her job, and Harry. Since then she had never been anywhere for any length of time. She had just spent three months working as an insurance investigator in Denver but her boss kept asking uncomfortable questions about her past. Ruth was aware that her cover was paper thin. It was time to move on. Her friend Chloe was excellent at forging identity papers.

Ruth had done some research before coming here and knew where Chloe lived. After taking a city bus to the apartment complex she wandered through the parking lot looking at the car's license plates. No sign of Chloe's car so Ruth sat on the bench at the bus stop across the street and waited. A large tree shaded the bench from the hot California sun and the afternoon was very pleasant. Ruth pulled a paperback book out of her handbag and sat reading, glancing up at every car that entered the parking lot. After about twenty minutes a Toyota pulled in, Ruth put away her novel and got up.

The woman who got out of the Toyota was wearing a yellow maternity dress and was extremely pregnant. In spite of the dark brown hair Ruth recognised her immediately. "Chloe?"

The woman turned quickly and stared at her, wary, suspicious. A woman who has lived on the edge for far too long and has seen far too many friends die horribly. Her eyes widened in surprise then narrowed again. "Ruth? Ruth Evershed?"

Ruth felt a thrill at hearing her own name for the first time in over two years. "Yes."

"I heard you've been dead for the past couple of years."

Ruth allowed herself a smile "I was, but I'm feeling much better now."

"Well don't just stand there! Help me with these groceries!"

Inside the kitchen the two women were stowing away the groceries. "I seem to remember you being blond." Ruth remarked.

"I outgrew it."

"And you've remarried Morris?"

"Yeah, let's cut the crap. Usually when a dead person comes to visit me, it's because they want something. What do you need? A passport? Driver's license? A whole new identity?"

"Yes Chloe, if you don't mind."

"I don't work for CTU anymore."

"Yes, I've heard about it being disbanded. So where are you working now? The FBI?"

"I don't work anywhere. I've got a reputation as a troublemaker and the word has spread. Everybody's turned me down. FBI, CIA, NSA, DOD, even LAPD. The whole alphabet hates me."

Ruth shook her head. "I'm so sorry. How about Morris."

"He's back selling women's shoes. He's in the upper one half of the upper one percent when it comes to intelligence. He almost as smart as I am. And what does he do with this vast brain power? He sells women's shoes. He doesn't sell men's shoes or children's shoes. No! Just women's shoes!"

"I'm sorry if I came at a bad time. I'll just go."

Chloe wrung her hands nervously. "No, stay. I've still got some resources. I can help you out. And it's good to see a friendly face."

Ruth turned her head as the front door opened and a bald man with a short beard came in. Morris had worked at MI-5 long before her time but she had read his file when Chloe came in for temporary duty and she never forgot a face. As he entered the kitchen she caught a whiff of alcohol. The small smear of lipstick on the side of his throat was a much darker red than the light pink colour Chloe was wearing. Ruth glanced over at Chloe and saw that she noticed it too. Chloe's lips tightened but she didn't say anything. Morris eyed Ruth suspiciously. "So Chloe, who's your friend?"

"It's your cousin Jenny from Yorkshire. She'll be staying with us a few days."

"Cousin Jenny hates me. She think's I'm a bloody traitor to the crown for emigrating over here in the first place!"

"Then we won't have to worry about the real one showing up." Chloe replied.

"More cloak and dagger crap! I suppose she's working for Bill Buchanan too!"

"Morris! We'll discuss this privately! Now if you'll excuse us for a few minutes." Chloe led Morris into the bedroom.

Ruth didn't mean to eavesdrop but their voices were loud and the walls were thin.

"Morris! We don't discuss Bill Buchanan in front of anybody! Understand?!

"Well, you're always hanging out with him. Sometimes for days at a time!"

"I'm not having an affair with him if that's what you're thinking!"

"Hell! I wish you were having an affair with him! It's better than what you are doing! All this spy stuff is just fine when your working for the government but when you're a civilian it's against the law!"

"This is important! The government's been infiltrated!"

"So you're out to save America! I think America's made it very clear that they don't want your help!"

"I think you're confusing the American government with America! Bill needs me!"

"Please Chloe! You've done your bit! Now it's someone else's turn! Besides, you always hated working at CTU. That job's given you nothing but misery and pain. Why don't you apply for that job at Industrial Lights and Magic?"

"Because people's lives are at stake! That's much more important than making special effects for the next lame Keanu Reeves movie!" Chloe paused. "Morris, you can either help me or you can get out of the way but you're not going to stop me."

"Chloe, I just don't want you to go to prison! I can't lose you a second time!"

"You're not going to lose me! Thick or thin, we're in this together!"

Chloe emerged from the bedroom. "It's OK. Morris won't say anything, He knows when to keep his mouth shut. " She lowered her eyes. "He's not a bad man. Not really. He's just . . . weak."

Ruth didn't say anything.

"Maybe you can help me out on something. I've got a recording that I'd like you to listen to and tell me what you think." Chloe led her over to the computer station and turned it on. Ruth noticed an odd looking device wired to it.

"Isn't that the CPU to a Hays Supercomputer?"

Chloe stared at the screen. "Yeah, and I'd thank you to keep your mouth shut about it."

"Chloe, I know how much these things cost and there's no way you could afford something like that."

"When they shut down CTU they put the computer into storage. I simply pulled the CPU before it was sent to the warehouse."

"Isn't that like stealing?" Ruth's voice was concerned.

"It isn't like stealing. It is stealing." The machine was taking quite a bit of time to boot up. "I jury rigged it to my computer. It's like putting a Maserati engine into a dump truck. It doesn't really work at it's full potential."

"But eventually they'll take the CTU computer out of storage. They'll know the CPU was taken."

"They'll have a hard time finding it. I 'accidentally' reversed some key serial numbers and sent it to a different warehouse. It's a big warehouse. I think it's the one from Raiders of The Lost Ark." She handed Ruth a pair of headphones. "I have a fragment of a conversation here. One of the speakers is British. I want to know what you think. You guys sound all alike to me."

Ruth listened. There were two men talking. One of them was an American and the other was British. "I can send you four fillies two of them are four months old. The others are five and six months old. All are blacks from good Kentucky stock." The American said.

"Very good. When can I expect delivery?" The Englishman said.

"Three weeks, delivery should be on the eleventh."

"Very well, you can expect payment then. Those two whites and the brown you shipped me were most satisfactory. The six month old black was sick and we had to put it down."

I'm sorry to hear that. If you send proof that the horse is dead I will send a refund."

"Thank you. It is so rare to find a businessman who keeps his word in this day and age."

The fragment ended. "Play it again." Ruth said.

After hearing it the second time, Ruth put down the headphones. "The accent sounds Cornish. It sounds like he was very well educated. Possibly Eton."

Chloe scowled. "Thank you. You've been a big help."

"So why are you after horse trader's"

"Those aren't horses. They're children. The months are actually years."

"Oh my God!"

"Kentucky stock means Sangala. Colonel Dubaku sells children as a fund raiser to finance his revolution. He's selling his country's future!" Chloe stared out the window. "Most people think the slave trade died out about the same time Lincoln did. But we know better."

"I want to help. Who's he speaking to?"

Chloe brought a picture of a man up on the screen a sandy haired man in his late forties. "David Drake, former CIA. Likes gambling and women. He lives in Las Vegas." She stared at the man. "I would love to get into his computer but it's offline."

Ruth stared into space. "We need to get someone into his house. You say he likes women?"

""Yeah, he likes them classy. You're a frumpy old maid. Not his type."

Ruth grinned. "You're right. I've never been real comfortable with men, and you're a very pregnant geek. Not his type."

"Fine pair of spies we make." Chloe said. "We'll never make good Bond girls." She began tapping a pen on the desk. "He still has contacts. We can't have any intelligence officers. He'll spot them right off the bat." Chloe leaned back in her chair and thought '_Who? There's Kim but she's stupid and Jack would kill her if anything happened to his daughter. Besides she's a disaster magnet'_

"I think I have someone." Ruth said. "She's no longer an active agent and she has played the femme fatale. Emphasis on the fatale. Let me make a phone call."

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In Santiago's Metropolitan Cathedral a very attractive woman with reddish blond hair pushed a stroller into the cool darkness. She paused in front of a statue of the Virgin and lit one of the candles in front of it. She wasn't sure why she was doing this. Neither she nor Danny were Catholic. But she had to do something on the anniversary of his death besides getting all drunk and weepy.

The baby in the stroller cooed and the woman stooped to pick him up. The infant seemed fascinated by the flickering candles and reached for them with a pudgy hand.

"No, no, Danny. Usted sera' quemado. You'll get burned."

The woman's purse chirped and she fumbled in her purse while holding the baby on her shoulder. She flipped open the cell phone. "Hello?"

"Zoe, it's Ruth."

Zoe Reynolds' brow furrowed "Ruth? What do you want?"

"I need your help. Can you fly up to Los Angeles for a few days?"

"I don't play that game anymore. I'm married to a wonderful man. I have a son. I'm happy. Get someone else."

"Zoe, we don't have anybody else."

"I'm not Zoe anymore. I'm Gina Hamilton. I have a life." She put little Danny back into the stroller.

"Please, these are some really bad people."

Zoe was getting angry. "Well I have a news flash for you! They're all bad people! The world is full of bad people! And I bagged my quota of them! Now it's someone else's turn! Goodbye!" Her finger moved toward the cut off button.

"For God's sake Zoe! They're selling children!"

Zoe's finger paused over the button. _Selling children? Oh my God! _She looked at little Danny lying in his stroller and felt a wave of horror and disgust. Selling children. She knew what that meant. She looked up. On the cross over the altar Jesus was staring at her. She lifted the phone back up to her ear. "OK Ruth, I'm in."


	2. Sacrifices And Confessions

**The Exiles**

**Chapter 2**

**Sacrifices and Confessions**

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Zoe sat in the flat waiting for Will to get home. She looked over at her sleeping son Daniel. Her son would never be British. He will grow up in Chile speaking Spanish. If he decided to join the army when he grew up, it would be the Chilean Army. For him, Britain will always be a faraway, distant place. A blob on the map next to Europe. She really shouldn't let it bother her but it did. Perhaps when he's older he could even learn his mother's real name.

The door opened and her husband Will came in. His face broke into a smile at the sight of his family. "Hey Gina! I've got some tickets here for Easter Island! Just you, me, Danny, and a bunch of big ugly heads. The hotel has day care so let's see if we can make any of them blush!"

Zoe shook her head, "I can't go. I have to fly up to the United States tomorrow."

Will looked puzzled, "Why?"

"I can't say."

Will's tone got angry. "You don't work for those people anymore! They have no right to make you do this!"

"It's not for British Intellegence."

"Then who? CIA? FBI? You didn't join the Chilean Secret Service did you?!"

"It's not like that. It's for a friend. It's important."

Will looked crestfallen. It was apparent that Zoe had made up her mind. "So how long is this going to take?"

"As long as it takes. It shouldn't be too long but you never know about these things." She stood up, put her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "No matter what happens, I'll always love you."

Will put his arms around her. "Will it be dangerous?"

"I don't know, perhaps," she kissed him. "But we still have tonight. Let's make it special."

"Nine hundred dollars for a round trip plane ticket from Chile!?" Morris's tone was angry. "We can't afford this! Your little hobby's getting expensive!!"

"I'll pay it back!" Chloe stood her ground and stared him in the eye.

"With what!? You don't have a job and you're not looking for one!"

"We need this woman."

"Chloe, there are police and government agencies that do this kind of thing. Let them do their job."

"The people we're going after have connections and they're lawyered up. We can do things the authorities can't."

"Chloe, the government chewed you up and spit you out. I'm pretty sure the British did the same thing to 'Cousin Jenny' out there!"

"Look Morris! I'm going to see this through to the end! Neither you nor anyone else is going to stop me!"

Ruth sat quietly on the couch as the O'Brians argued in the next room. She looked up as Chloe came storming in and grabbed her car keys off the kitchen counter. "Gina's plane arrives in about two hours. We better leave now. You don't know what L.A. traffic is like."

Ruth had a feeling that traffic had nothing to do with why Chloe wanted to leave so early but she got up and followed her out the door.

Zoe easily got through U.S. Customs with the Chilean passport that Harry had given her so long ago. She strolled to the escalators that led to baggage claim and went on down. The first thing she saw was Ruth waiting at the bottom with a brown haired pregnant woman she didn't recognise.

"Hi Gina! It's me Jenny. This is Chloe."

Zoe immediately picked up Ruth's alias. It brought her back to reality. They were on a mission. Nowhere was safe. The familiar knot of fear returned to her stomach.

"Let's get your bags and get out of here." Chloe said.

As they left the parking garage Chloe glanced into the rearview mirror at the woman in the back seat. She figured Gina wasn't her real name but didn't really care. The three women in the car lived in a world of secrets and need to know. Pretty soon 'Gina' would have an entirely new name.

"Gina, your new name is Nancy Stafford. You're from Dallas Texas."

"I don't think I can fake a Texas accent." Zoe replied.

"You don't have to, Nancy Stafford is originally from London. She moved to Dallas seven years ago. She's a real person who, as far as I know, is still in Dallas. It's a lot easier to use a real background than to start from scratch. She's about your height and age. Nancy was arrested for prostutution five years ago. The case was tossed due to lack of evidence. She was also a person of interest in the disappearence of an ex-boyfriend two years ago but the police were unable to build a case."

"So she has a shady background." Zoe smiled. "Excellent!"

"I've already started on your papers. All I need are photos and signatures. You'll be getting an American passport though I doubt you'll need it. You'll also be getting a Texas driver's license, credit cards, and a Texas concealed weapons permit."

"Why would she have a concealed weapons permit?" Zoe was puzzled.

"No reason. This is the United States. Owning a gun is no more of a big deal than owning a car. The real Nancy has one so you do too. It's good in thirty six states. California isn't one of them but Nevada is. I suggest you use it. I have some pistols that you can choose from."

"Okay, so what's the mission?"

"Guy named David Drake, ex-CIA. He seems to be the hub of the whole child selling operation. He's got everything on a computer in his study that's off line. I need you to get the combination to his study door then keep him distracted for about fifteen or twenty minutes while I go in and download everything."

Zoe shook her head. "You make it sound so easy."

Chloe was all business. "You're his type. I've been watching him for two months now. His favorite casino is Cesars Palace so I've hacked into their security cameras. He goes there at least once a week. The British accent will help, he's not interested in seducing housewives from Wisconsin. He likes his women glamorous. You'll need an expensive dress and jewelry. We'll also have to doll you up a bit. Real slutty makeup."

Zoe stared out the window. "So I guess we'll have to get a slinky dress and some jewelry. Time to go shopping."

Chloe chewed on her lower lip. Where was she going to get the money? Her clothing and jewelry wasn't quite up to par. She also had to get Zoe a room at the casino for at least a week. The answer that came into her head wasn't a good one. She turned toward home. Morris should be at work now. There was something she had to get. Something she didn't want to get. Chloe blinked away some tears. Think of the children. Children are dying out there. That's what's really important.

Seven hours later, Morris was at the shoe shop closing it down when the bell at the door rang. He looked up to see Chloe come in with "Cousin Jenny" and a third woman he didn't recognize. She must be the girl from Chile. Very attractive with collar length reddish blond hair. She was dressed in an elegant slinky red dress that shimmered in the light and clung to her form like a second skin. It seemed to draw his eyes towards her like a magnet. She also had a matching purse and a rather expensive looking diamond necklace and matching bracelet. "So this is your friend. Looks like she could have bought her own plane ticket."

"This is Nancy Stafford. Nancy, I'd like you to meet my husband Morris. He'll get you some nice shoes that'll go with the dress. He'll also get us a nice big discount since he loves me so much."

"Why does she need a discount? She looks rich enough."

"She's not. I bought the outfit and the jewelry."

"With what?! We don't have that kind of money!" Morris was getting angry.

"I sold my car and the silver tea set."

Morris's anger turned to shock. "The silver tea set? The one that's been in your family for over two hundred years? The one your ancestors brought over from Ireland before the Revolution? You love that tea set. It's been passed down from one generation to the next!"

Chloe tried to keep her voice from cracking. A tear ran down her cheek."Until this one. We need the money for this mission."

Morris was dumfounded. "It's that important to you?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes it's that important. Now get us the shoes."

Zoe looked at her outfit in the mirror. It didn't really feel very glamourous.

Over the next couple of days the apartment felt crowded. Ruth and Zoe slept together on the fold out couch in the living room and Morris constantly compained about the three women hogging the bathroom.

On the third day it was Morris's day off so he slept in. When he woke up, Chloe had already gone. He trudged into the living room only to find Ruth sitting alone on the couch. "So where's Chloe and Nancy?"

"They're scouting some locations. They'll be gone for at least six hours. Probably all day. They left me here to do a bit of work for Mr. Buchannan."

Morris sat on the couch next to her. "You used to work over at MI-5 didn't you? That's where you met Chloe." Ruth didn't answer but Morris nodded. "I thought so. So did I. They kicked me out and I guess they did you too. I suppose we're all rejects." He stared off into space. "I'm losing Chloe, she divorced me once before and she's going to do it again. She doesn't really love me, she never did. She's in love with Jack Bauer. She's always loved Jack Bauer."

Ruth squeezed his hand. "She loves you." She then hesitated for a moment. She was tired of aliases and lies. "By the way my real name's Ruth, Ruth Evershed." She tried to search her memory. "Jack Bauer used to be a CTU agent. I know him by reputation. We do keep tabs on what's going on over here in jolly old England. So what makes you think she loves him?"

"They're a team, together they're unstoppable. She would do anything for him. Risk her job, freedom, life. She's been arrested for him more than once. Jack's the better man. He stood up under torture for three years in China. I couldn't stand ten minutes before I gave up nuclear bomb triggers to terrorists. I . . . I don't deserve her!"

Ruth put her arms around Morris and hugged him. He hugged her back then kissed her on the lips. Ruth felt a surprise and thrill go through her. It had been years since a man kissed her. Far too many years. But then she became angry. It was wrong. She couldn't betray her friend. She pushed Morris away. "How dare you?! How could you do this?! Do you think Chloe doesn't know about your drinking?! The women?! She's a genius!"

Ruth stood up and glared down at the pathetic man in front of her. "Maybe she does love Jack! I don't know what he's like but if he gave up a chance to be with Chloe then the man's a jackass! Do you think she's only capable of loving one person?! You're the one she chose to marry! The one she decided to give a second chance to! Don't you get it? You won! You beat Captain Jack! You won the prize! And right now you're pissing it all away!"

Ruth noticed Morris had his head down. Tears were running down his cheeks. She reached down and gently touched his cheek. "Morris, it's time for you to stand up and be a man. The kind of man who's worthy of a woman like Chloe O'Brian. She's at a bad place in her life. The government's rejected her but she's still out there fighting the good fight. She needs your support. She can't handle it alone. The burden's just too much for her. She needs you standing at her side. Supporting her. Fighting the good fight."

Morris nodded and stood up. "You're right. I'm so sorry!"

Meanwhile, in the TAC vehicle that Bill Buchannan had appropriated from CTU, Chloe and Zoe were on the highway to Las Vegas.


	3. Dad's Car

**The Exiles**

**Chapter 3**

**Dad's Car**

As the black unmarked Tactical Van drove down the highway, Zoe Reynolds stared out the passenger window, bored. The desert landscape that she first thought was charming was now dull. Whatever other talents Chloe O'Brian might have, the fine art of conversation wasn't one of them. She got the impression that Chloe still didn't fully trust her. Zoe was in the mood to listen to a classic rock station on the radio but Chloe had commandeered the dial and seemed enamoured of conservative talk radio of all things. "We're going to have to pull over soon. I need to use the toilet."

"There's a dry toilet in the back," Chloe replied. "It heat seals the waste into watertight, biodegradable plastic bags."

Zoe pushed open the sliding door and climbed into the back. The dry toilet was sitting in the corner in the open. In the cramped confines, privacy apparently wasn't much of a priority. After relieving herself and washing her hands in the small basin Zoe looked around. The back of the van was certainly well equipped with a bank of computer and surveillance equipment. Above the computers was an enclosed shelf with five visored helmets. Body armour was stashed in a locker. There were a couple of well stocked gun racks packed with automatic weapons and a locked box marked 'DANGER EXPLOSIVES' She also spotted a coffee maker, a small refrigerator and a microwave oven not much bigger than a shoebox. "Nice little toy you got here" she told Chloe. "Put in a place to sleep and you have all the comforts of home!"

"We're CTU, we never get to sleep." Chloe muttered back.

Zoe smiled and looked for teabags. Apparently neither Chloe or Bill bothered to stock the van with them. She opened the well stocked refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of sweet lemon tea. For some reason she didn't fully understand, Americans liked to drink their tea cold. She eyed the coffeemaker. She can heat it up there..

A few minutes later she climbed back up front with a cup of hot tea. "So how'd you get this nice van?"

"We stole it. The atomic bomb that went off in Valencia a few months ago. We sent three fully equipped tactical vehicles to ground zero to stop it. Our report said four. It's an atomic bomb so who's to say different?" Chloe remained silent for a few minutes. "I'm not going to kid you. We're out on the end of a very thin limb with no safety net. We have no backup, no friends, and no legal standing. If we get caught in this van our kids will be in college before we get out. If you have any second thoughts about this I'll turn around and take you back to the airport."

Zoe shook her head, "No, I'm in."

Chloe smiled, "Just two girls taking Dad's car out for a day in Vegas."

Zoe glanced over at Chloe's swollen belly. "So how far along are you?"

"Seven months going on eight."

"Boy or a girl?"

"Don't know, don't want to spoil the surprise."

Zoe nodded, "I've got a boy, he's three months old." She leaned back and smiled. "My husband's taking care of him while I'm gone."

"Your husband a good man?"

Zoe got a dreamy look on her face. "He's wonderful, he gave up everything for me, exiled himself to the far ends of the earth for me. He's perfect!"

"Yeah, you're lucky then, some of us don't get Mr. Wonderful. You can get awful old waiting for Mr. Wonderful to get his act together and sweep you off your feet. Some of us have to settle for Mr. Good Enough. '

Something in Chloe's tone warned Zoe that further conversation along these lines wasn't welcome so she decided to remain quiet for a while. After about ten minutes of silence Zoe decided to speak again, "Why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"This," she gestured around her. "All of this, stealing government property, You and Mr. Buchanan launching some vigilante crusade against evil. Risking your life and freedom. It's all mad but you don't seem mad. You're hardly a nutty crusader or criminal mastermind. I've dealt with enough fanatics to know one when I see one and you're not. Frankly you're a nerd. Why do you do it?"

Chloe remained silent for a moment before she spoke. "The U.S. government's been infiltrated. The people who were behind Logan. The ones who sold nerve gas to terrorists. The ones who turned over the suitcase nukes. The people who shut down CTU." Chloe's voice remained steady but Zoe noticed her eyes moistening. "I stood there and watched friends I've worked with for years being gassed to death behind a plate glass window. I was there when an American city was destroyed. These people don't care about elections. They have people in power in both parties. Bill and I are fighting them because no one else will."

"So what do they want?"

"The old dream, the shiny, happy world where everybody just shuts up and does what they're told because the smart people are in charge and they know what best for everyone. Controlling people for their own good. It's what Robespierre wanted: Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro, they all wanted to create the shiny happy world. They knew an awful lot of people would have to die to create the shiny, happy world but none of them had any problems with that. They're willing to put up with Hell on Earth to achieve their wonderful Utopia. Over a hundred million people were murdered by their own governments over the past hundred years to create the shiny, happy world." Chloe shook her head. "There is no shiny, happy world and there never will be. But they won't stop trying. The Constitution is an obstacle to these people. I swore an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution and I take that oath seriously. I'm the only one Bill trusted to join him. It's something I have to do."

Chloe shrugged, "Sorry about getting on my soapbox and lecturing you but I really hate these guys."

"So what's that got to do with child prostitution?"

"This thing is on the very edge of it. A way to establish business relations with the Sangalan rebels. Kind of a hobby for Drake. He likes the big girls but he also likes the little girls, no boys as far as I know."

"And you need me to distract him?"

"Just for twenty minutes or so. Keep him away from his study. His computer should have information not only on the child prostitution but on the rest of the conspiracy as well."

Zoe smiled, "I think I can keep him distracted for that long."

About an hour later they were parked on a side road in the hills surrounding Las Vegas using powerful binoculars to peer at a house on the side of the next hill. "Hmm, nothing spectacular, typical upper middle class home in an upper middle class neighborhood." Zoe commented.

"What did you expect? A brooding castle on a hill with minefields and electric fences?" Chloe snorted. "We'll do a drive by down the street to get a closer look but only one and I won't stop. He might notice if a van is taking too much notice of his house. Later we'll do a walk down the alley in back. We need to plot possible escape routes in case things get hairy. I've got satellite photos but it's better to get a look at things on the ground." Chloe lowered her binoculars, "Lets get back in the van, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Later that afternoon the black van pulled up in the parking lot of Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. The two women emerged and began walking toward the building. "Be careful, he might be in here." Chloe whispered.

"So that's why you insisted on bland clothes and no makeup or jewelry." Zoe looked up at the tall building and squinted in the bright sunlight. The heat outside had to top a hundred degrees. She just wasn't used to this kind of heat and was sweating horribly.

"Yeah, if he's in there he won't give either of us a second glance." Chloe glanced over at her companion. "You're very attractive regardless, but I've been watching Drake on the casino security cameras for months. He only goes for the tarts."

As they entered the casino Zoe was hit by the coolness of the interior. She glanced around at the Roman motif. "Just about every square inch of the interior of the building is covered by security cameras," Chloe whispered. "Except for the hotel rooms and washrooms. I'll be tracking you while you're in here." They wandered through the casino mentally memorizing escape routes and emergency exits.

Chloe took a double take at one of the roulette tables then looked away. Zoe could see her face strain as she tried to look calm and collected. This woman wouldn't last ten minutes as a field agent. "He's at the roulette table, blue suit, lavender tie." Chloe had the appearance of a bad ventriloquist trying to speak without moving her lips and failing utterly. Zoe would have smiled in amusement if she wasn't in mission mode. Now she understood why they needed an experienced field agent, even if they had to fly her in from South America.

Zoe led O'Brian slowly through the casino then casually glanced at the man from the side. Thinning blond hair, well built, expensive tailored suit. She might have considered him to be rather attractive if she didn't know what a monster he was.

They pause by a bank of slot machines. Zoe calmly put a dollar coin in it and pulled the lever. No luck not that she expected it. Casinos were designed for suckers. She put another dollar in it. As she pulled the lever Chloe gripped her arm. "Don't look now but he's coming right at us."

Author's Note: So far I haven't gotten one review! How about throwing me a bone and letting me know what you think? Like it, hate it, strangely indifferent, click that little button and let me know.


	4. Ceasars Palace

**The Exiles**

**Chapter 4**

**Caesars Palace**

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Author's note: I would like to thank LiverpoolMiss for the nice review. You asked if I ever wrote anymore. Well here it is.

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Zoe casually put another dollar into the slot machine and pulled the lever. Drake walked past their backs and headed toward the men's room. As he disappeared Zoe whispered. "It's okay to breathe now."

Chloe's breath went out with a whoosh. Zoe couldn't resist smiling a little. Chloe would be useless as a field agent but from Ruth had told her she was the best there was when it came to running ops. "Come on, let's get out of here. I don't want to take any chances of him recognizing you later." Chloe whispered.

Stepping out of the cool casino into the dry heat of Las Vegas was like stepping into an oven. As they walked toward the van Zoe looked up at the hard blue sky. "So will we have any muscle backing us up on this little mission?"

"Just one guy." Chloe answered. "Bill Buchanan, he was the former director at CTU. He was also a Green Beret."

Zoe relaxed a little. "That's good."

"In Vietnam." Chloe continued.

Zoe stopped short. "Vietnam! Just how old is he!"

"Old enough, I prefer to think of it as experience. Don't worry, he's in pretty good shape. Better than most guys a third his age." Chloe chewed on her lower spite of what she just told Zoe, she was worried. Bill was pretty old. Too old for this kind of thing. What the Hell were they doing! She was a mother for Christ's sake! She couldn't help thinking that she and Bill were insane. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza attacking the windmills. We can't possibly win. This was a shoestring operation at best. It was all detached and intellectual when it was all pilfered files and videos. Now it was all too real. She wished Jack was here but he would be arrested the moment he stepped foot on American soil. She wished a lot of things about Jack. Her heart ached every time she thought about him. Perhaps in a different universe. . .

Chloe got into the van, unlocked the door for Zoe and started the engine. She didn't pull out though, just sat there staring at her hands on the wheel. There was blood on those hands, not all of it was the blood of the guilty. Her dreams were still haunted by what she'd done in England. The British covered it up. Sure you murdered eight civilians. But you saved the lives of thousands. It had to be done. The cruel mathematics of what we do. She knew there were civilians down there but she set the bomb off anyway. Couldn't let it get into town. What right did she have to play God?

There was an old Sufi proverb, 'That which you gaze upon, you become.' For nearly half her life, she's been gazing into the deepest pits of Hell. And all too often, Hell gazed back at her. The strain was eating away at her like a slow acting poison. It felt like it was draining years from her life. Tears trickled down her cheeks unnoticed. Two of the people she killed in England were children. Gina had a baby waiting for her in Chile. The people she and Bill were fighting were very powerful and very evil. The only reason they don't crush us like insects is because they don't know about us yet. As soon as they do, they will destroy us.

She had to think about her unborn child. About Gina's son. What right did she have to bring Gina and Ruth into all this? To wage an idiotic war that they can't possibly win?

"So, are we going to get started or should we just sit here in the parking lot all day?" Zoe's voice broke into her consciousness.

"Gina, I'm aborting the mission, I'll take you home. It's too dangerous. We'll get your bag and put you on the next plane to Chile."

Zoe stared at her for a moment. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's too dangerous. You just don't know how ruthless these people are. You're a civilian now. I had no right to bring you into this."

Zoe shut her eyes, "Don't do this to me." She whispered.

"Look It's not about you, it's about me. You're a civilian now. You have a family. I had no right to involve you in my problems."

"I'm not a civilian, neither are you. I spent years kidding myself thinking that I was. But every time I see a new atrocity on the telly I ask myself if I couldn't have stopped it. Don't you get it? People like us, we can never be civilians again. It's in our blood. Do you think I entered Her Majesty's Secret Service for the pension? Do you think I'm going to spend the rest of my life thinking about children being forced into sexual slavery that I could have saved? Now isn't the time to get all wobbly on me. If you don't want to take them on I'll do it all by myself!"

"It's your funeral." Chloe pulled out of the parking space and they drove out to the street.

"Will we have a safe house here in town?" Zoe asked.

"I'll get a room at the Motel 6. It'll have to do."

Zoe smiled, "Not like the old days."

When they got back to Chloe's apartment night had fallen. Morris and Ruth were sitting on the sofa shouting at a soccer game on the television.

Zoe rushed over to the couch and Ruth scooted aside a bit to make room for her. "Who's playing?"

"Manchester United is playing against Liverpool." Ruth answered as Morris shouted at an especially frustrating block.

Chloe gave the screen a disinterested glance. Like most Americans she'd never seen a complete game of soccer played by anyone over the age of twelve and didn't really care much about the sport. Besides, she still had work to do perfecting 'Nancy Stafford's' back story. She was going to try to temporarily insert Zoe's fingerprints and mugshots into the Dallas Police Department's computer records. She can't afford to overlook anything. Chloe went into the kitchen and sat at her computer trying to ignore the shouts of triumph and groans of frustration coming from the other room.

Two Days Later

"You really should let me go with you to Vegas." Morris told Chloe, "You need someone to protect you in case things go bad."

Chloe stared him down. "That's what Bill's for. He'll take care of any shooting if it comes to that. I need you to run ops back here."

"Bill's an old man."

"He's been doing this all his life, we'll be fine, don't worry."

"I can't help worrying." Morris stood there glumly as the three women left the apartment.

As the women approached the tac van Ruth gently gripped Chloe's arm causing her to stop, they let Zoe walk on ahead. "You really should have let Morris come along," she whispered.

Chloe snorted. "He showed me his latest invention last night. The only reason he wants to go to Las Vegas is because he built an electronic device that he thinks will crash the programing of electronic gambling machines and cause them to jackpot. It's just another one of his get-rich-quick schemes. The last thing we need is to get involved in more complications."

"He doesn't think you trust him."

"I don't trust him."

"He's afraid you think he's a coward."

"He is a coward."

"He's still a man. Men need to have their egos stroked. It wouldn't hurt to bring him along. Give him something to do. Your marriage may be at stake."

"He's got plenty of lady friends willing to stroke his ego or anything else he needs stroked. He's just not dependable. Gina and I am going to be inside Drake's house. If we get caught we'll just vanish. The Nevada desert's a pretty big place and nobody will notice if another hole gets dug and filled in. I'd be happy to hold Morris's hand some other time when our butts aren't on the line."

Ruth pouted, "Okay, but you should at least let him know that you love him. You do love him don't you?"

Chloe yanked her arm free of Ruth's hand. "Of course I love him!" She looked wistfully back at the man watching from the apartment window. "I just don't like him very much," she added quietly under her breath.

Zoe got to the unmarked tactical van first. She glanced back at Ruth and Chloe. They seemed to be talking about something. A white haired man stepped out of the van and went around to open the door for her. Her eyes widened with surprise and appreciation. A real gentleman. She smiled at him. "You must be Bill, I'm Gina."

He didn't return the smile. "No, you're Nancy Stafford, you will remain Nancy Stafford until this mission is over. I don't want to hear anymore slipups like that one." His tone brooked no nonsense.

"Yes sir," Zoe felt abashed, like some young schoolgirl in the Principal's office. Of course she wasn't really Gina Hamilton either. Deep down inside she was still Zoe Reynolds. Disgraced MI 5 agent, convicted murderer, cop killer. Perhaps this mission might give her a little redemption. She hoped it would take away some of the guilt.

Zoe got to ride shotgun next to Bill while Chloe familiarized Ruth with the equipment in the back. This time Zoe got to pick the radio stations. Bill seemed to enjoy the same classic rock that she did. While at first she was skeptical of such an old guy providing the muscle, he was old enough to be his father and Vietnam happened before she was born but she gradually warmed to him. He did seem to know what he was doing and was quite charming when you got to know him. Pretty good looking for an old man. Now that she was married she wouldn't let it go any farther than that but there were no rules against enjoying the scenery.

They let her out downtown near the railroad station with her luggage. Zoe took a taxi to the casino. Checking into the hotel was no problem with the reservations Chloe had made. She went up to her room and plopped down on the bed. It was a very nice room. The others had to share a room at the Motel 6 but they would spend most of their time in the van. It made her feel pretty guilty. A week at Caesars Palace had to cost quite a bit. Not like the old days when they had the national treasury backing them up. She did have a bit of money saved up. She'll have to make a donation to the cause.

The next two days passed uneventfully. Nancy Stafford hung around the hotel the whole time. Ate at it's restaurants swam in it's pool. No sign of Drake. She was up in her room watching the telly when her phone chirped.

"He's here." Chloe's voice brought her back into mission mode. She didn't hurry. Drake usually hung around for hours when he came to the casino. She put on the shimmering red dress and sat at the bathroom mirror. Chloe said Drake liked tarts so it was time to put on the warpaint. False eyelashes, eyeliner, bright red lipstick, the works. She couldn't help thinking that she was merely bait for a really vicious shark.


End file.
